Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

I decline; I do not accept this because they never ask the right question. They are full of stunts but they never ask the right question.

So when we heard the Treasurer launch his war on entitlements—he has got his gaze fixed on many within the community, but it is a one-eyed gaze—he did not, for example, include the mining industry. In fact, one of his first acts in coming back into government was to give some of the wealthiest in our community a tax cut while providing a tax hike for those in our community who can afford it the least. That is right, we saw people with superannuation account balances well in excess of $2 million get a tax cut while those who are earning less than $38,000 a year get a tax hike. In fact, if you want a tax cut under this government you have to ensure that your name is George or that you own a mining company.

So when we hear those opposite launch their war on entitlements, we know it is wrong by our economy. We also know that it is actually a war on the entitlements of those who can afford it the least while those opposite give a free pass to those who can—and I do not begrudge them for one moment but, frankly, if you are going to give a tax cut, the tax cut should be given to those who are in most need. I argue that that has not been the act of this government.

We believe that we should be putting in place the sorts of policies that have ensured that Australia, unlike any other nation on earth, has enjoyed its 23rd consecutive year of growth. We believe in putting in place these sorts of policies. It is not an end in itself; it is like listening to the diatribe of those opposite about the importance of budget surpluses. You do not have to be a Rhodes scholar to understand that, if your policy is to have a budget surplus no matter what the circumstances, your policy is committed to taxing Australians more than you need to. That is what it means. If you are committed to delivering a budget surplus no matter what the circumstances, you are committed to taxing Australians more than you need to. It is not an accident—

Mr Frydenberg interjecting—

See this speech in context